Xabi Alonso ‘would love to manage’ Liverpool as Chelsea reach stunning ‘decision’ | OneFootball

Chelsea owners BlueCo are “going to tweak the system” for Xabi Alonso as the former Liverpool midfielder looks set to take charge of the Blues, but Guillem Balague has claimed that the former Real Madrid boss would still love to manage at Anfield one day.

Alonso is on the verge of becoming the new Chelsea manager, despite strong links with Liverpool over the past few months.

Ever since the former Liverpool midfielder parted company with Real Madrid in January 2026, Alonso has been linked with the Liverpool managerial role.

Arne Slot is in charge of Liverpool and led the Reds to the Premier League title last season.

However, Liverpool are still not guaranteed a place in the Premier League top five this season.

Many Liverpool fans are fed up with the Dutchman and want a change, but the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are sticking with Slot as the first-team manager.

Well-known and well-respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has revealed that Alonso has personally told him previously that he would love to manage Liverpool one day.

However, with Liverpool not sacking Slot, the 44-year-old is now set to take charge of Chelsea.

According to Balague, Chelsea owners, BlueCo, have decided to give Alonso “more voice”, something that they have not done with recent managers.

Chelsea owners make Xabi Alonso concession

Balague wrote on X at 12:39pm on May 16: “Xabi Alonso had a plan when he was about to leave Real Sociedad B (Sanse).

“Go to a top European side with ambition. Bayer Leverkusen was chosen.

“If it didn’t work out, then go back to Real Sociedad as a first team manager. If it did, then he aim to go to Bayern Munich (which came off the list after Leverkusen won the league, it did not make sense for Xabi to aspire to join a rival of his biggest success), Real Madrid or Liverpool.

“Once he told me he would love to manage in Anfield but that the natural way of things would be for Steven Gerrard to go there first, and the return of the prodigal son seems far-fetched now.

“We know the tension at Liverpool, but also that Arne Slot will remain beyond the summer.

“It is easy to say, ‘wait for that to go wrong or for it to finish naturally’.

“But football managers have to take decisions when offers arrive.

“And we know that in this game, two plus two is not always four.

“So the very real possibility of Xabi Alonso managing Chelsea comes in that context.

“Very rarely a manager chooses in football (Pep getting a national side at some point will happen, a dream of his, but Pep is Pep), football chooses for you, it is the game that imposes the timing.

“We are hearing from sources very close to the Chelsea decision makers that they are going to tweak the system to give the manager more voice.

“That is Xabi’s first win and you are never stronger than when you are negotiating to land in a club.”